"Da Bumps"

Back on the water after another day of windy weather, we headed to a place known as “Da Bumps”, a shoaling area off Cape George, about a 1.5 hour run from Port Hood.  We started marking fish immediately, but our search was interrupted by a call from Captain Bernie Chisholm (Nicole Brandy), alerting us that he and his mates on the Nicole Brandy had a fish on!

Captain Dennis Cameron on the Bay Queen IV

Captain Dennis Cameron readies the squid rig

   

We stopped fishing and raced westward, in the direction of Fisherman’s Bank (see October 7 blog), to catch up with the Nicole Brandy. Approximately 45 minutes later, Captain Dennis Cameron pulled alongside the Nicole Brandy and we successfully transferred the first fish of the day to the Bay Queen IV. We opted to  deploy an acoustic tag on the 259 cm CFL fish and then quickly released her back into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. 

-Dr. George Shillinger

Tuna transfer form the Nicole Brandy to the Bay Queen IV

Craig Cameron reeling in a bluefin

Although the forecast called for diminishing winds, the winds increased steadily through the afternoon.  We headed back towards the “Da Bumps”, scanning the sea for diving gannets and steadily marking large fish.

Dr. George Shillinger and Robbie Schallert

We finally hooked up again around 5:00 p.m. but lost the fish to a pulled hook about thirty minutes later. 

Inspired by numerous marks on the scanner, registering fish from 40-60’, we opted to give the tuna one more try.  We headed back to the exact same spot where we hooked the second fish and hooked up immediately – only to lose another fish (again to a pulled hook) right at the rail.

Almost there...

That was enough fishing for October 8. We headed home, arriving back at the docks around 8:00 p.m. For now, tomorrow’s marine forecast looks very promising – winds < 10 kts…could be a great day!

Fisherman's Bank

After a lengthy stay on shore due to bad weather, the TAG team went out to Fisherman's Bank on Friday and had another very productive day. Dennis Cameron's Bay Queen IV was the tagging boat and Bernie Chisholm on the Nicole Brandy and Steve McGinnis on the Carrie Anne were the catch boats. Located near the coast of Prince Edward Island, Fisherman's Bank is a 2.5 hour trip from our home port of Port Hood, Cape Breton Island - so it was a long day as we left the harbor at 6 am and returned at 9 pm. Bluefin tuna aggregate on the bank to feed on schools of spawning herring at this time of year. After the herring complete this annual ritual, they move off the bank and so do their predators.

-Dr. Steven Wilson

Dennis Cameron aboard the Bay Queen IV.

Bernie Chisholm aboard the Nicole Brandy.

Steve McGinnis aboard the Carrie Anne.

Troy Cameron fights a bluefin on the tagging boat.

Winds were light and it was a beautiful day. Four large fish (273-284 cm) were tagged with both a mini-PAT and an acoustic tag and a smaller fish (218 cm) was tagged with just an acoustic tag.

Dr Steve Wilson attaches electronic tags to a 284 cm giant Atlantic bluefin tuna.

-Dr. Steven Wilson



Hot Bite

Captain Steve McInnis and Captain Bernie Chisolm pass off  a tuna to the tagging boat

Lloyd McInnis fights a tuna while Pilot Whales swim past

Pilot Whale visits the tagging boat

Dr. Mike Stokesbury eye-to-eye with a bluefin tuna

Captain Dennis Cameron irrigates a bluefin tuna

Bluefin tuna  slides out the door with a pop-up and acoustic tag

After some bad weather, the TAG team hit the water and found the bluefin biting all day...the F/V Carrie Anne was hooked up before the tagging boat even got to the fishing grounds. It stayed hot all day with multiple hook-ups aboard both vessels...we will give it another try tomorrow!!

-Robbie Schallert

An Angler’s Perspective – Nova Scotia, Canada

Here is an angler's perspective from TAG supporter and bluefin enthusiast, Keith Brandner (Tenafly, New Jersey) regarding his recent experience angling for giant bluefin in Nova Scotia, Canada.

An Angler’s Perspective – Nova Scotia, Canada

I recently spent three days up in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, trying to catch a giant bluefin tuna. I had never been in Canada, let alone off in a remote town in Nova Scotia, so I had no idea what to expect.  All I had to base it off of was the volumes of stories from Zane Grey from back in the 70s, magazine articles, and the crazy reports from the captain. I cannot even express how many text messages and emails I received saying: “Hammered ‘em again today, buddy! After we released our fish we sat there and just hand fed them for the rest day…Man it doesn’t get old!” Needless to say, I was very excited.

Figure 1: tuna under the boat!

The ride out to the fishing grounds does not give much chance for the anticipation to build. As a Northeast canyon fisherman, I am used to 3+ hour motors out to the fishing grounds, so when the engines stopped just 15 minutes after they had roared to life, I could not help wonder if something was wrong. But nothing was wrong. In fact, everything was perfect! My nervousness about whether the fish had left between the captain’s last trip and this did not last very long – after about 30 seconds of throwing chunked-up herring into the wind-chopped, green water, a flash from below signaled that they had arrived.

I will remember my first glimpse of a giant bluefin tuna for the rest of my life. After years of hearing that these fish were “the size of a Volkswagen,” I learn that it is not an exaggeration. The flash from below, though moving very fast, was impossible to miss. The massive tuna, circling underneath the boat, was taking swipes at the herring chunks we were tossing overboard and slowing moving up the water column until it was crushing the chunks as they hit the surface of the water. It was an incredible sight.

Figure 2: The author fighting a tuna as the sun goes down!

When the captain finally asked if I was ready to catch one, it almost caught me off-guard. I was having so much fun just watching these fish swim, eating our bait next to the boat, that the thought of leaving it behind was almost sad. After a few more tosses, we decided it was time.

Figure 3: What an incredible fish!

It only took a few seconds before one of the huge fish took the bait and promptly took half of the spool with it.  Even 60 pounds of drag could not tame this fish. After about 45 minutes of battle, the fish finally rolled next to the boat. I found that one really cannot appreciate the truly incredible size of these fish until one gets to see them boat-side, clear as day. I could not believe it – I put my hand on the gill plate of the fish and found that my hand was just larger than the eye of the fish. 

Figure 4: I guess he's ready to go!

After some photos, the fish gave a strong kick to let us know that he was ready to be released. As it swam away, I could not help but wonder what was next for it. Would it continue feeding on the bank, or would it begin its journey down to the Gulf of Mexico to begin breeding? Or would it make the transatlantic journey to the Mediterranean Sea? I guess it is the wonder, intrigue, and amazement that keeps us coming back day after day and year after year. The next few days were just as good as the first. The fish continued to put on a show and just like the captain had said, it never got old. I cannot wait to go back again next year!

-Dr. George L. Shillinger

5 Bluefin Tagged on Day 2

Dr. Steve Wilson tags another giant bluefin in Canada's Gulf of St. Lawrence.

On Canada 2012's 2nd day on the water, we met a Canadian film crew out on Fishermen's Bank and they came aboard to document our tagging work. With 3 boat's fishing, it only took less than an hour before the F/V Nicole Brandy had hooked-up. Another was caught at lunchtime and 3 more were hooked late in the day alongside a herring boat hauling its net. The fish ranged in size from 222 to 283 cm. As we started heading back to Port Hood, sea conditions began to deteriorate and we would be kept ashore for several days.

-Dr. Steven Wilson

Canada 2012

Dr. Steve Wilson inserts a Wildlife Computer mini-pat, while Captain Dennis Cameron irrigates the bluefin tuna's gills

The TAG-A-Giant team has descended on Cape Breton for the 2012 tagging season. The F/V Carrie Anne caught the first fish on Fisherman's Bank...a ~900lb bluefin. Dr. Steve Wilson and Dr. Mike Stokesbury quickly went to work inserting a satellite pop-up tag and an acoustic tag...the whole process from hook-up to release took under 22 minutes. We are heading back out tomorrow and look forward to a successful year!!

-Dr. George Shillinger
Director, Tag A Giant

Salmon Shark Start

View from our Era flight from Anchorage to Cordova

Aerial view of a glacier

The shark team has descended on Cordova, Alaska to see if they can locate and tag Salmon Sharks...a warm-blooded cousin of the Great White which migrates over vast swaths of ocean. The team is led by Aaron Carlisle and his band of Stanford Shark researchers...Dr. Taylor Chapple, Dr. Adrian Gleiss, and Robert Schallert. It is truly amazing here in the Last Frontier...glaciers, mountains, animals and wonderful people. We leave bright and early aboard Alaska Fish and Game's R/V Pandalus...hopefully with good news to report in a couple days!!

-Robbie Schallert

Cordova Harbor at 9PM

R/V Pandalus

Sheridan Glacier

Moose